Letter To Her
by SweetMemories1998
Summary: Natsu and Lucy finally confessed their love for each other, but there is one more step they need to take before getting together. A letter from Lisanna brings some insight into his past and Lucy learns just how much he must've suffered. Will the ghost that haunts all Fairy Tail members prevent their romance from happening? NaLi (past) and NaLu (present) (Based on Safe Haven)
1. His Tragic Past

**Good morning, dearest readers!**

 **Boy, I am on fire these past few weeks. I've written more one-shots than in the year since I joined the Fairy Tail fandom.**

 **I'd like to thank you all for your support and for inspiring me. Most of my stories are actually a product of your encouragement and some ideas were brought up by readers. (I'm talking ship-ambrosia from tumblr, my amazing adviser who writes wonderful Gruvia/NaLu/Jerza/anything stories and Lieutenant Myst, whom I still owe a prompt)**

 **Also a big thanks to Star197, MasterGildarts, glodenglowingsnowdemon, R011ingThunde, Mikasa-Chan, Zerza and so many more. You're all awesome and I truly appreciate the support.**

 **Now let's move on to the actual story. This idea came to me while I was rewatching sad scenes from Nicolas Sparks movies about two weeks ago (trying to get my angst on). Once I saw the letter scene from Safe Haven, it just hit me how perfect that movie would be for a NaLi/NaLu story.**

 **With that in mind, this masterpiece was born. (lol I am so modest) I am proud of it because it's my first time writing a NaLu story and I think I managed to capture both of their personalities.**

 **Then again, I guess you'll be the judges of that. Please, let me know any critics you might have about this one-shot.**

 **Writing is, after all, all about learning and improving.**

 **Ps: I was too lazy to write the scene in which they got together, so consider this a kinda sequel to the NaLu chapter of 8 Colors Why I Love You.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 _October 15th, X793…_

After Natsu unexpectedly confessed his feelings for Lucy and they shared that amazing kiss which would be forever a happy memory, he took her aside—away from the prying looks of their friends.

"This feels like a dream." She admitted once he had guided them towards a secure spot outside the tent.

"Yeah, it does." He was smiling, a faraway look on his face.

"I can't believe you actually confessed." Lucy shook her head. "I had it all planned out; the most romantic confession, but you ruined it."

"Sorry." He replied, still looking distracted.

"Is everything okay?" She inquired, worried.

"Yeah, everything's fine." But it clearly wasn't. She knew that emotion which he was trying to conceal. Sadness.

"What are you thinking about?" Natsu sighed.

"I thought that I could do this, but I'm not sure anymore." Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Do what?" He remained silent, looking away. "Natsu, you're scaring me!"

"Sorry. This is just…so hard." Lucy realized that his hand was picking something from the pocket of his tuxedo.

"What is that?" There was now a purple envelope in his hands.

"A letter." He swallowed hard, staring at it sadly. "From Lisanna." Silence fell upon them at the name's mention.

* * *

 _Lucy had heard a lot about Lisanna Strauss, but nothing could've had prepared her for the truth about how she had died. It was a story so sad and tragic that you'd think of it as part of a book, not real life._

 _Mirajane had told her the whole truth years ago, once they returned from the war against Oracion Seis, but Lucy had never forgotten it. Sometimes it would haunt her dreams as she imagined all of the pain and heartache Natsu had gone through._

 _Back then, the two of them had barely been friends, but from the moment she learned about his past, something changed._

 _Looking back now, Lucy realized that it was because knowing about Lisanna had placed the question of her feelings for Natsu for the first time._

 _She remembered so clearly how Mirajane had looked away once she'd pointed towards the little girl with short white hair and blue eyes in the picture_

 _It never ceased to tighten her heart when she thought about the sad expression on the older girl's face or the lonely tear that fell down her cheek._

 _It quickly became clear that the topic of Lisanna Strauss wasn't an easy one, but still, Lucy needed to know._

 _She would be forever thankful to Mirajane for opening up. No one did; whenever she asked about Lisanna they would just change the subject or ignore her. Even Natsu._

 _No one wanted to talk about the ghost that seemed to constantly haunt them and Lucy quickly understood why._

 _When Mirajane told her how sweet and lovely Lisanna had been and how much everyone had loved her, the celestial wizard figured out why the guild members avoided talking about her._

 _When the oldest Strauss mentioned how Lisanna and Natsu had been dating—in secret, of course, but everyone had known. Despite the fact that the two of them never went public about it and always denied it, their feelings had been clear._

 _If she were to be honest, Lucy couldn't help feeling a little jealous. Even if she hadn't loved him yet, learning that another girl had once been as close to him as she was hadn't felt right._

 _However, she had quickly let it go, knowing it was silly to feel that way about someone who was long gone and had done nothing wrong._

 _As Mirajane proceeded to describe Lisanna's death and the horrible events that led up to it, Lucy's heart was shattered little by little._

 _When she learned that Elfman, after losing control of a beast, sent the poor girl flying away and caused her to land on a field of poisonous roses, she understood why he was insecure about using magic and so intent on protecting Mirajane._

 _Becoming aware that Lisanna's suffering lasted for 2 weeks as her body battled the poison while everyone attempted to find an antidote was heart wrenching._

 _Listening to Mirajane's broken voice once she described every attempt that had been made to save Lisanna's life and how Natsu had even gone as far as asking the missing Igneel for help was too hard._

 _Lucy never felt sadder in her life than when she heard of the nights he had spent crying for Igneel to come back and help him save the girl he loved._

 _Even worse was picturing him, sitting by Lisanna's bedside, holding her hand and telling her it would be okay even though he didn't believe it himself._

 _Of course, as sad as it all was, the worst moment had to be Lisanna's death. Mirajane confided in her about all the details— to the bed where she had died to everyone who had been there._

 _The oldest Strauss spared nothing as she described the moment Natsu had come into the guild hall, shouting desperately, before everyone had followed him inside the infirmary only to find their worst nightmares._

 _Lisanna had been in pain, unable to lie still as the poison caused her to break into a high fever and sweat to cover her body. After two weeks of trying to get rid of it, it had somehow only gotten stronger._

 _She hadn't stood a chance, as Mirajane made clear. Without an antidote, there was nothing they could've done to save the poor girl._

 _Natsu had pleaded again and again for the master, for someone, to find a solution. Had cried like a little boy once he was told it was too late._

 _Only Lisanna's soft voice had prevented him from completely losing it and he'd quickly come to her side as she'd requested. Mirajane told Lucy how in that moment, as he held Lisanna's hand and they stared at each other, it became clear as day that they were in love._

 _When Gray pointed it out—ever so mockingly—Natsu had simply cried harder, much to everyone's surprise. Lisanna had squeezed his hand and given him a sad smile._

 _Then, she'd whispered the words that had been etched in Mirajane's mind, and would now be in Lucy's. "It will be okay, Natsu. You'll find love again, I am sure of it."_

 _This had caused all of the guild members in the room to break into tears, unable to hold it anymore. Even Erza and Gray had found themselves crying, but not nearly as much as Natsu._

 _He'd been completely devastated, Mirajane said, and the memory of him holding onto Lisanna as her life was drained would forever bring back tears from anyone in the guild._

* * *

"Lucy? Are you okay?" The celestial spirit was brought back to the present at the sound of his voice.

Quickly shaking away the heartbreaking thoughts, she put on a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine."

He stared at her suspiciously for a moment, before sighing. "So, can you read it?"

"Read what?" Confused, Lucy tried to remember what they had been talking about.

"The letter that Lisanna wrote." Natsu showed her the purple envelope once again.

"Oh." She extended an unsure hand. "Sure. I can…I can read it."

"Why aren't you taking it?" He inquired, raising a brow.

"I just…I'm scared." She admitted.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad." Seeing her unwavering frown, Natsu allowed a small smile to cross his face as he stared at the letter. "She wanted me to give it to you."

"She did?" Lucy's eyes widened. How could that be? Lisanna had never even met her before, so how could she write a letter to her?

"Yeah." He pushed the letter into her hands. "It would mean a lot to me if you were to read it."

Thinking there'd be no harm in reading a simple letter, Lucy nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you." Natsu leaned over before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. For a moment, his lips lingered there and his eyes closed as painful memories resurfaced.

He quickly recomposed himself, though, and walked away, giving her privacy to read the letter.

As Lucy soon found out, much like learning about Lisanna's death, nothing could've prepared her for what was written in it.

* * *

 **So, what did you think? Were they in character? Did my twist on Lisanna's story make sense?**

 **I'm afraid she had to stay dead in order for this to work. For NaLi fans, next chapter will include a heartbreaking flashback and Mirajane will make an appearance. You'll also get to read the letter and I'll warn you in advance that even I cried while writing it.**

 **I wish you all have a nice day.**


	2. Promises

**Good evening, dearest readers!**

 **I hope you all had a good day (should be since FT has returned) because now it's time for the** **angst.**

 **If you thought chapter one was sad, then you've seen nothing. This one even drove the Queen of Angst, yours truly, to tears. When I was writing Lisanna's letter, I had to hold myself. **

**So sad, yet so beautiful and emotional. I hope NaLi fans will enjoy the few moments I've included here.**

 **And of course, NaLu fans, you can expect a lot of sweet scenes between those two. I even made a parallel to one of my favorite scenes which actually includes another couple (1000 points to whoever guesses which one I'm talking about).**

 **Anyways, ramblings aside, let's get to the shoutouts:**

 **MasterGildarts : Same here. I love NaLu, I like NaLi (in the past) and I love Lisanna. She's so sweet and caring and understanding. It's so clear she realizes that Natsu moved on and decides to be a good person and accept that. I'm so sorry about the way I had to kill her in this story, but this was, after all, inspired by Nicolas Sparks' Safe Haven. (have you watched the movie? It's soo good. Definitely one of my favorites.)**

 **Lieutenant Myst: Yep, you should definitely get some tissues. Chapter 2 is the worse one since it includes Lisanna's letter. **

**FreshFruit : I'm glad it came across as interesting and sweet. This chapter continues to be so, but also very heartbreaking. Hope you're ready for Lisanna's letter.**

 **Good luck you all! Once again, don't forget to let me know what you think and any criticism you might have.**

* * *

 _November 10th, X782..._

 _Natsu lay on the infirmary bed, Happy sleeping soundly on a chair. His arm was wrapped around Lisanna's shoulder as the two of them enjoyed a few moments of peace._

 _He was almost falling asleep when she called his name, ever so gently. "Yeah?"_

 _"There's something I wanted to give you." He frowned when she moved._

 _"Now?" Lisanna smiled._

 _"Now is always the best time, remember?" Makarov had said those words a few weeks before and the couple were learning just how truthful they were._

 _Natsu groaned when she carefully sat on the bed before reaching for the night stand. After opening the drawer, she pulled out a purple envelope. "What is that?"_

 _"A letter." She answered, turning around to face him._

 _"You wrote me a letter?" He didn't like that. A letter meant that Lisanna didn't think she'd be around long enough to tell him whatever was in it._

 _He refused to believe that._ _He would save her, no matter what it took._

 _"Not excatly." She was still smiling once she extended her hand._

 _"Okay." Still frowning, Natsu picked the envelope._

 _After staring at it for a few moments, he finally decided to open it. The purple paper inside was decorated with flowers, probably her doing._

 _As soon as he read the first sentence, he looked back at her. "Lisanna..."_

 _"I know that you don't want to hear this, but time is running out." Tears were forming in her eyes._

 _"No." He shook his head. "I will save you! I promised."_

 _"I know you did." She gave him a soft smile. "But there are some promises we can't keep."_

 _"Don't say that." He found himself suddenly tearing up._

 _"I am so sorry, Natsu." Lisanna was sobbing, but managed to recompose herself enough to tell him what he needed to know. "But you'll be happy again. I know it!"_

 _"I don't want that." Stubborn as always. "I want to be happy with you."_

 _Her smile returned and she brought a hand to his cheek, wiping away a few tears. "I want to be with you too. But we both know our time has run out."_

 _"I can still..." She shook her head._

 _"We can't." Taking a deep breath, she told him. "And I don't want you to feel sad, okay? I want you to move on and find happiness again."_

 _"How can I do that without you?" Natsu_ _brokenly_ _asked._

 _"You'll find a way." She knew he would. "I have no doubt that you'll find someone to love someday and when you do..." Picking up the letter, she placed it on his hand, squeezing it. "I want you to give this to her."_

 _"Lisanna..." He broke down completely, throwing his arms around her in a desperate hug._

 _Lisanna comforted him as best as she could, keeping the smile on her face. She had meant what she had said. She had faith that he would find someone who would make him happy again and she hoped that, somehow, she could be there when that happened._

 _Nothing would make her happier than seeing Natsu smile again._

* * *

 _Present day..._

Natsu watched from afar as Lucy sat on the grass and finally opened the letter. His eyes focused on her face, searching for a reaction once she started to read it.

He was so concentrated on her that it wasn't until Mirajane spoke that he noticed her presence. "I see you gave Lucy the letter."

"Damn it, Mira! You almost gave me a heart attack." She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. You were distracted." He looked back towards Lucy.

"What do you think's gonna happen after she reads it?" Mira smiled.

"Are you worried?" He didn't reply, but she could tell. "There's no reason to be."

"What if Lucy thinks I'm still in love with Lisanna? What if she rejects me?" She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"She'll understand, Natsu. She loves you, after all." These words brought a smile to his face.

"I never thought this would happen. After Lisanna..." Mira nodded, understanding.

"I know." He swallowed hard, tears threatening to fall.

"I miss her." Once again, she simply nodded. "I do too."

"Sometimes it's too hard. And remembering everything..." She completed. "Only makes it worse."

"But I've moved on." Natsu continued, looking back towards Lucy, who appeared to be crying.

"I'm glad you did. You deserve to be happy." Mirajane sincerely told him.

"Thanks, Mira." She knew there were many reasons why he said it and she was grateful too.

Besides Elfman, Natsu was the only one who truly understood how she had felt after Lisanna died and he had helped her move on, just as she'd helped him. She considered him to be family; a little brother as he would've been if he'd ever married Lisanna.

Like the caring big sister she was, she brought him in for a hug, trying to comfort him like so many times before.

Natsu simply allowed her, already too used to the unexpected hugs. His mind focused again on Lucy and he couldn't help but to smile.

Mirajane was right. Lisanna's letter wouldn't tear them apart, it would only bright them closer.

* * *

 _To the girl Natsu loves…_

 _If you're reading this, then it must be true. He loves you, without a shadow of a doubt, or else he wouldn't have given this to you._

 _I can only hope you feel the same way, because the last thing I want is for him to get his heart broken once again._

 _I know this is strange and unexpected, but I chose to write this letter because I wanted you to know one very, very important thing. I'm so glad he's found you._

 _I have no intention of pretending like he's all mine and will never fall for anyone again, because I know he will._

 _And I'm okay with that. I've accepted that our story isn't meant to have a happy ending and that's okay._

 _As long as Natsu finds happiness again, I'll be just fine. Even if he doesn't believe it now, I have hope for the future and all the amazing things that will happen to him._

 _That's another reason why I wrote this letter. It's the ultimate proof of my knowledge that he will be happy again. I know that, someday, someone will read this._

 _I only wish I could be there…somehow…to meet you. Maybe in some ways, I am._

 _Outside of Natsu and my siblings, you are the most important person in the world to me because I'm gone and I need you to take care of them._

 _Make Natsu laugh again, convince Mira not to give up on herself and, most of all, remind Elfman that none of it was his fault. Will you do this for me, please?_

 _I know I'm just a stranger, a ghost whose memory will probably haunt them for a while, but you are not._

 _The thought of you gives me hope that Natsu will remember what it's like to be in love. I hope you'll mend his heart and be there for him like I couldn't._

 _I am counting on you, whoever you are. I'd like to believe that I'll be somehow watching your story unfold and will cry and smile alongside you and him._

 _I hope that, after reading my letter, you'll have a better understanding of who I was and who Natsu is._

 _Thank you for taking your time to read this. It means a lot to me._

 _All my love,_

 _Lisanna Strauss._

* * *

"Natsu." Lucy was crying so hard that her hand was shaking while holding the letter. The purple paper was now stained with tears and some of the words had become blurred.

So many feelings overwhelmed her at that moment. Sadness. Nostalgia. Love. Most of all, she felt love strongly than ever.

She loved Natsu, more than she'd thought to be possible. Reading that letter had only made her feelings for him grow as she realized just how much he had suffered.

She had to go to him. To reassure him that she would do as Lisanna wanted. To comfort him for he surely must be remembering her death after giving the letter.

Therefore she stood up and began walking in his direction, all the while attempting to dry her tears. She could see that Mirajane had come and was hugging him, which only brought them back.

"Natsu..." His name came out in a broken whisper.

"Lucy..." He broke apart from the hug and Mira stepped aside, smiling sadly.

"I'll check up on Elfman." The two of them stared at each other silently while she walked away.

"So...Did you read it?" Natsu gulped.

"Yeah." Lucy did the same. "I did."

"And..." He wasn't sure what he wanted her to say.

"I am so sorry." Her words triggered a new wave of tears and he couldn't hold himself.

Lucy didn't waste time and approached the broken boy, taking him in her arms just as Mira had done a few moments ago. Unable to keep standing, they fell to their knees, still locked in the embrace.

"I am so sorry." She repeated while caressing his hair and he clung to her like a lifeline.

"Lucy..." There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn't. He could only cry as flashes of his time with Lisanna crossed his mind.

"I promise you that I will make you happy." Lucy managed to get out between sobs. "Like Lisanna wanted. I will not let either of you down."

"You already do." He croaked out, pulling his head away from her shoulder.

"I had no idea...how much you loved her." She admitted.

"But I love you now." He reassured, staring at her determinedly.

"I love you too." As she brought a hand to gently press against his cheek, the memory of Lisanna doing the same was too much.

"Thank you." Still crying, he brought her as close as possible before his lips pressed against hers in a desperate, emotional kiss.

She could tell how much he was hurting in that moment and Lucy knew, she'd keep her word. She would help him heal and move on, just as Lisanna had wanted.

* * *

 **So, thoughts? Are you guys still alive after this emotional roller coaster? I swear, writing Lisanna's letter and then the flashback...It killed me!**

 **Well, at least there is a happy ending here. Did you like the NaLu** **scenes?**

 **Thank you all for taking your time to read this heartbreaking tale.**

 **If you haven't watched the movie Safe Haven yet, I highly recommend you do that. It's so beautiful, romantic and sad.**

 **I wish you all have a wonderful day.**


	3. Response

**Not really a new chapter, but I wanted to reply to your reviews.**

 **Thank you all for the support!**

 **Ocean Gem:** **Sorry I used your birthday as such a sad date. Hope you enjoyed the story.**

 **dihan:** **I'm so sorry that the letter was a disappointment. I guess I was just really in the mood when I wrote it, since I had just rewatched the scene in Safe Haven and plenty of sad movie scenes. So that's probably why I cried.**

 **guest:** **Aww thank you! Oh, I didn't expect that, but I can see why it feels that way. But make no mistake, Natsu does love Lucy. He makes that clear multiple times here. The thing is, he also loved Lisanna once.**

 **They were dating, after all, and he lost her so suddenly and unexpectedly. Surely these feelings wouldn't go away so easily and perhaps some of it remains, but what I tried to show in this story is that he has moved on.**

 **He isn't trapped in the past and constantly wondering what might've been anymore. Now that he has gotten together with Lucy, he is looking forward to the future and to letting Lisanna go.**

 **I don't feel like, if you lose someone you love and later fall for someone else that they ar a replacement. That's not how it works, in my opinion.**

 **MasterGildarts:** **It was meant to be. You know that when it comes to angst, I am the Queen. Seriously, I have the ability to make sad stories sadder and to turn happy stories into sad ones. I even have a really angsty idea involving AlBis of all ships!**

 **Anyways, isn't Lisanna truly a saint? I totally headcanon that this is what she would've done because it's so in character. I know she would've wanted Natsu to be happy and would've supported him moving on with someone else.**


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